Research
Heavy rain can more than double glacier speeds in Alaska
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- Heavy rainfall can more than double the speed of glaciers in Alaska, according to the reported study.
- Glaciers usually move slowly under gravity, but can sometimes surge to speeds orders of magnitude faster than normal.
- The source is a short news summary; no further technical details are provided in the material.
Why it matters
It shows that rainfall, not only temperature, can rapidly change glacier motion, which matters for understanding ice dynamics and related hazards in a warming climate.
- #glaciers
- #alaska
- #rainfall
- #ice dynamics
- #climate change
Glaciers are often thought of as unyielding blocks of ice that slowly carve out the landscape as they move downhill by gravity. But sometimes their slow crawl becomes a surge that sees them move orders of magnitude faster than their usual speed.
Timeline
Earth News reported the study findings on heavy rain and Alaskan glacier speeds
Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change
Heavy rain can more than double glacier speeds in Alaska